A flypast is a ceremonial or honorific flight by an aircraft or group of aircraft. The term flypast is used in the
United Kingdom and the
Commonwealth. In the
United States, the terms flyover and flyby are used.
Flypasts are often tied in with Royal or state events, anniversaries, celebrations, and occasionally funerary or memorial occasions. Sometimes flypasts occur in special situations, to honour someone or to celebrate certain types of aircraft. They have affinities with
parades, of which they form the aerial component. Often they occur in purely display contexts at
airshows, but it is the flypasts linked with civic, ceremonial and national pride, that imprint themselves on a nation's memory.[citation needed] Some flypasts have been described in broadcast and print media as "historic".
Flypasts are regularly featured in public and ceremonial life in the United Kingdom, where they function as a particular kind of
aerial salute. They serve to show respect, display aircraft, showcase flying skills and as a form of
entertainment to delight the public, for example, during their annual appearance after
Trooping the Colour. Flypasts reflect milestones of national life, varying in scope from personal, to community and local, to military, and to national. They may honour individuals in private or public life or commemorate happenings at a particular location. They are also used to honour aircraft. On occasions both small and large they may occur over land or sea, sometimes connected with memorial or thanksgiving services.
In
Commonwealth countries—notably
Singapore,
Canada and
Australia—they occur on national days and occasionally on anniversaries. They are seen more rarely in other territories.
Locations
Flypast locations are usually of national importance. In the UK, these include
Buckingham Palace, where the
Royal Family on the balcony will join the thousands of spectators in streets and parks below. Other
London settings have included the
River Thames. The 50th and 60th anniversaries of World War II were celebrated by flypasts over
Normandy in
France. Festivities of
Trafalgar 200 were centred over
Portsmouth and at sea.
The connection of Trooping the Colour with Royal Air Force flypasts began in 1913 when the
Royal Flying Corps Military
Wing performed a flypast for
King George V on Laffan's Plain, near Aldershot.[1]
Flypasts are a regular occurrence in the United Kingdom at national events or commemorations. In 1954 the Queen conducted a Coronation Review of the Royal Air Force at
RAF Odiham which included a flypast by about 640 aircraft - among them 440 jet aircraft.[2]
On many occasions, the flypasts are performed by the
Red Arrows aerobatic team of the
Royal Air Force, but on more important events like Royal occasions, for example the Queen's 80th birthday during 2006, was a flypast following the
Trooping the Colour. Headed by the Lancaster with 2 Hurricanes and 2 Spitfires (
Battle of Britain Memorial Flight), the 49 aircraft in 9 formations included Typhoons, Jaguars, Tristar, VC10, C-17A Globemaster III and E-3 Sentry. The highlight was a "Diamond 9" formation of Tornado GR4s and the appearance of a
Canberra escorted by the Red Arrows.
On 31 March 2021 the Red Arrows performed a flypast as part of a series of commemorative events taking place in Australia to mark the centenary celebrations of the
Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF).[3]
National or Republic Day celebrations
In many countries, flypasts, normally performed by the precision aerobatic team of a country's
air force, are an integral part of
Republic Day or
National Day celebrations.
In
Finland, during Independence Day parade on 6 December the
Finnish Air Force has traditionally performed a flyover of four fighters at the moment when the honour company of the Air force passes the podium where a representative of the war veterans, a representative of the city and the commander of the military province in question receive the parade troops marching past, the Helicopter battalion of
Utti Jaeger Regiment has also performed flyovers timed to happen at the same time when the honour company of the
Finnish Army provided by the Utti Jaeger Regiment passes the podium.
In
India,
Republic Day celebrations on 26 January includes a flypast in Delhi.
On 1 April 2008, a flypast by the
Red Arrows over Central London marked the 90th Anniversary of the founding of the
Royal Air Force. The milestone was also celebrated that June following
Trooping the Colour 2008 with a flypast of 55 aircraft, and in July with a Royal Review and flypast of 90 aircraft at the
Royal International Air Tattoo.[6]
Ten years later, the RAF's centenary was celebrated over
The Mall, London and
Buckingham Palace on 10 July 2018 with a large-scale flypast featuring the Red Arrows, the
Battle of Britain Memorial Flight, and aircraft from several RAF squadrons. This flypast featured 103 aircraft of 24 different types, spread out over twenty different formations. The entire flypast took nine minutes to pass over London, and featured aircraft based from 17 different airfields all over the
United Kingdom.[7][8][9]
World War II
(1945) Formation of American planes over
USS Missouri and Tokyo Bay celebrating the signing of the surrender
The largest flypast in history occurred on the signing of the
Japanese Instrument of Surrender which formally ended the war between Japan and the allied powers in Tokyo Bay on 2 September 1945. 400 B-29 bombers and 3000 carrier aircraft participated.[10]
On 15 September 1945, after the war ended, about 300 aircraft flew over London in the first
Battle of Britain anniversary flypast. "The formation was led by 247 Squadron in their new
Vampire fighters, the first time the public had seen the aircraft."[11] This flypast was apparently led by
Douglas Bader (RAF hero commemorated and portrayed by
Kenneth More in the film Reach For the Sky.)
An attender recalls a victory parade in London on 8 June 1946 featuring
two flypasts, one during the day and one at night. Scores of aircraft, of many kinds, took part.
The 50th and 60th anniversaries of World War II were commemorated with large flypasts. On 15 September 1990, 168 aircraft in seven formations celebrated the 50th Anniversary of the
Battle of Britain. Further flypasts occurred on 6 June 1994, celebrating the 50th anniversary of
D-Day.
Over the weekend of 19–20 August 1995, the 50th anniversary of
VJ Day was marked in London, including "a two-minute silence which...was ended by an Avro Lancaster bomber overflying The Mall and dropping about a million
poppies over the site."[12] In the evening, there was a further flypast on the
Thames.[13]
6 June 2004 marked the 60th Anniversary of D-day, with the
Normandy landings commemorated by veterans (many now aged 80+ years) and political leaders at locations throughout Normandy. The Battle of Britain Memorial Flight scattered millions of poppies over the veterans as they crossed the
English Channel by
ferry.[14] Later, it flew over the veterans at
Arromanches, concluding a memorial service with a 47-aircraft flypast of modern military jets led by the RAF Red Arrows.[15] At
Pegasus Bridge, the
Army Air Corps conducted a flypast of
Lynx helicopters.
On 5 June 2019, a flypast of 24
British Armed Forces aircraft was held over
Gosport to mark the 75th Anniversary of D-Day. The flypast was part of a larger series of commemorative events to mark the anniversary, which were by
Donald Trump and other world leaders.[16]
On 10 July 2005, the 60th anniversary of
VE Day was marked by a flypast of vintage aircraft which again dropped one million poppies on crowds in
The Mall.[17]
The 60th anniversary in 2003 of the
Dambusters raid was marked by a flypast of the last operational
Lancaster over the cliffs at
Reculver, site of secret tests of inventor
Barnes Wallis's
bouncing bomb. (This flight was part of a larger series of flypasts over key locations by the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight.[18])
On 16 May 2008, Les Munro, the last surviving Squadron Leader, and
Richard Todd, star of the celebrated
film The Dambusters, attended the 65th Anniversary service and flypast over
Ladybower Reservoir. At 100 feet, as compared to 60 feet of the Dambusters' practice runs, a single
Lancaster aircraft
passed three times over Derwent Water. A Spitfire, two Tornadoes, and a Dakota transport plane also participated.[19]
In 2003, the Royal Australian Air Force commemorated
Anzac Day with a flypast of four aircraft -
Harvard and
Winjeel - over the Cenotaph in Ballarat, Victoria.[20]
The
Royal Canadian Air Force at the
Canada Aviation Museum in
Ottawa honoured Canada's participation and commemorated the 60th anniversary of the
Battle of Britain on 17 September 2006. Modern aircraft performed a flypast along with four World War II planes provided by Vintage Wings of Canada who made a "once-in-a-lifetime formation".[21]
To mark the 70th Anniversary of
VE Day, a flypast of 56 historical aircraft was performed over the
National Mall in
Washington, D.C., on 8 May 2015. This flypast was a rare sight for residents, as it was the first time in several years that the restricted airspace over Washington was opened for the occasion.[22]
On 7 May 2007, hundreds of workers at
Kennedy Space Center watched as
US Air Force Thunderbirds performed a series of passes over the main industrial area, where the
Space Shuttle is maintained and prepared for launches. The purpose of this demonstration was to photograph the planes at KSC for promotional purposes. Almost six months later, in November 2007, the Kennedy Space Center hosted the inaugural World Space Expo. The opening featured an aerial salute to
NASA with the Thunderbirds as the main attraction.[25]
Sports
Flypasts also demonstrate national pride at landmark entertainment and sporting events.
Canada: The
Snowbirds perform a flypast after the national anthem
O Canada at each annual
Grey Cup event, which is the largest sporting event in Canada. Flypasts have also been fairly commonplace at playoff games involving the aptly named
Winnipeg Jets of the
NHL, flying above the Winnipeg Jets Street Party fan viewing area outside of
Canada Life Centre following the performance of O Canada.[26][27]
United States: Flyovers are common at professional sports and racing events as part of the performance of
The Star-Spangled Banner.[28] The flyover had been a strong
NASCAR tradition, as every major race features one, usually performed by an Air Force or Air National Guard wing based in the area, and in some cases naval and marine air units. Army helicopters have also occasionally performed them. It is also a staple of the national anthem at the NFL
Super Bowl, MLB
World Series games and the
Major League Baseball All-Star Game. A flyover occurs at the beginning of the Men's Final of the US Open Tennis Championships. This is usually performed by the
Blue Angels, the official U.S. Navy aerobatics demonstration squadron. A flyby takes places prior to the start of the
Indianapolis 500 mile race, the largest single-day sporting event in the world. Held annually on
Memorial Day weekend, U.S. military aircraft perform a flyby while "
Taps" is played in remembrance of Memorial Day. In some years, multiple aircraft participate, executing the
missing man formation. In most racing events in
NASCAR, flyovers are held, especially at the Daytona 500.
Entertainment
New Zealand showed its pride at being the
location for The Lord of the Rings, at the
premiere in
Wellington of the third film in the
trilogy, The Return of the King. An Air New Zealand
Boeing 747-400 flew in Lord of the Ringslivery in a historic flight over Auckland, Hamilton, Tauranga, Gisborne and Napier, "enabling more than two million people, one in two New Zealanders, to share in the excitement of The Lord of the Rings". This was the first time that a 747-400 had undertaken such a flypast in New Zealand.[29]
Memorials
The funeral of Italian tenor
Luciano Pavarotti was sealed by a flypast from
Frecce Tricolori over
Modena Cathedral, his native town, on 8 September 2007. Tens of thousands of people who had filed past his coffin as it lay in state, witnessed the show of respect and mourning.[30][31]
31 May 1957: A
Royal Canadian Navy (RCN)
McDonnell F2H-3 Banshee spirals out of control after its right wing breaks in half during a high-speed flypast of naval air station
HMCS Shearwater, Nova Scotia, Canada. The pilot fails to eject and is killed when the plane slams into
McNabs Island. The crash is attributed to improperly manufactured fittings in the
folding wing mechanism, and most RCN and
US Navy Banshees are grounded until improved fittings can be installed.[33]
1 October 2002: Two
Ilyushin Il-38 maritime patrol aircraft of the
Indian Navy collide in mid-air during a flypast near
Panjim, Goa, to celebrate the 25th anniversary of
315 Squadron of the
Indian Naval Air Arm. The collision and subsequent crashes kill all six crew members in each aircraft and three bystanders on the ground.[36]
11 October 2003: Hundreds of
Canberra residents panic and call police after a flypast of
Parliament House, Canberra, by two
F-111 jets, celebrating the 100th anniversary of the
High Court of Australia. Witnesses see "two thunderously loud balls of flame screaming overhead at a height of about 300 metres [980 ft] and heading toward the city's landmarks", and some mistake the fighters for incoming missiles, believing that a terrorist attack is in progress. Press releases had been issued but police had not been informed.[37]
21 January 2021: An
F/A-18 Super Hornet of the US Navy
Blue Angels aerobatic team veers off course while practicing a high-speed "sneak pass" at
Naval Air Facility El Centro in California in preparation for a planned air show there, passing within 30 m (100 ft) of a building. The intense shockwave from the fighter jet traveling at an estimated 1,100 km/h (700 mph) causes
US$180,000 in damage to the building and injures a dozen naval personnel inside.[38]